


Rental Boyfriends

by flyingfreely94



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Bottom Kyungsoo, Bottom Minseok, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-21
Updated: 2016-07-21
Packaged: 2018-07-25 18:41:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7543672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyingfreely94/pseuds/flyingfreely94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lu Han worked for a website that offers boyfriend renting service, which meant he got paid acting as temporary lover for single ladies. </p><p>And Minseok was his loyal customer, but also his most favorite one. </p><p>Chanyeol was the most famous employee in ABOKI Boyfriend Rental, and never in his two years of working at ABOKI had he received a rating that was lower than a five-star from his customers. </p><p>Until a guy named Kyungsoo appeared, and Chanyeol was never rated higher than one-star in all of his dates with the cute (but grumpy) guy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rental Boyfriends

If Korea was where people can earn money just by eating large quantities of food while live broadcasting it, it was also possible that single men or women can rent a romantic partner for a few hours, or half a day, as long as they can afford the rental fee. If muk-bang, or eating broadcast, can be considered a legitimate job nowadays, then being paid to act as a temporary lover was not that weird of a occupation, however.

That was what Chanyeol had told Lu Han after being caught working at ABOKI Boyfriend Rental, a website that offered ladies unique dating experience - having a momentary boyfriend - for a price according to what service they chose. "Boyfriends" in ABOKI were ranked based on how good-looking they were and how much they could please their female customers on the temporary dates. The higher the rank, the more expensive the rental fee. It of course did not include how long the date was going to last, where to go and what to do, which were also what the ladies had to choose when they visited the website.

Sex was prohibited though. ABOKI, however, was not a brothel. Boyfriends for rent can hug, or sometimes even kiss their dates on the cheeks or lips, if the customers could afford the extra fees for those pricey intimate activities. However, if the worker was caught engaging in sexual act with any of his customer, being fired was the final punishment. According to Chanyeol, ABOKI was created for the sole purpose of providing romantic experience, not sexual activity, for those who are in need. And of course, if there was any love blossomed between the workers and their customers, the employee was encouraged to quit the job.

That being said, all ABOKI's rental boyfriends had to be single before they were given the job, and had to remain single the time they worked for the company. It was not that dating was forbidden once you were part of the boyfriend renting service, but ABOKI believed rental boyfriends were just for single men and women. Once you had already found your other half, you were required to resign from the job.

Customers, however, were expected to be single while seeking for a temporary boyfriend. "However, sometimes people who are in a committed relationship still prefer to go on date with stranger instead of their own lovers." - as told by Chanyeol with a shrug when Lu Han asked him about ABOKI's customers. Like how Chanyeol explained, the only time the company refused giving service was when the customers verbally harassed or insult any of the employees. Some other time, ABOKI just didn't give a damn if their clients were in a relationship or not.

Lu Han just couldn't believe his friend had been doing this kind of job for more than two years now, but again, considering the number of branded clothes the man had purchased lately, it was not a surprise. ABOKI paid their employers well, and the more popular the boyfriends were with their ladies, the higher their salaries were.

Chanyeol could be considered one of the most wanted rental boyfriends in ABOKI right now, and even though the man only worked part-time, what he earned in a week could easily surpassed Lu Han's whole month salary as a waiter. Not to mention sometimes Chanyeol came to class with a brand new Valentino sneakers and damn, it was a lie to say Lu Han was not jealous. Being a boyfriend for rent was not a job for just everybody, you got to have a look of a model, a nice body that accompanied your attractive face, and also what Chanyeol called "the ability to make your clients believe you're interested in them".

"And that's the key point which decides whether you're successful at this job or not. The ladies have to feel like you're actually their boyfriend" - And while saying this, the tall man not so subtly winked at Lu Han. The Chinese student made a gross face in return. Chanyeol always acted like Lu Han desperately needed the kind of job he was doing - going on multiple dates with single ladies just to afford the latest branded items. Sure sometimes he couldn't help but to steal some obviously glare at the new pair of Nike Chanyeol had been wearing non stop. Those were the Air Jordan Carmine Lu Han had taken a liking after browsing a random fashion magazine while waiting for his dentist appointment. And as salty as he was, Lu Han always thought those shoes would look better on him than on a man with giant feet like Chanyeol.

It was not his fault that Lu Han was a huge branded shoe addict even though most of the time he could not even pay the monthly rent on time, and his landlord had even kicked him out once for a whole week straight. Lu Han was just your typical broke college student with a minimum wage job. Unfortunately, his circle of friends had guys like Junmyeon - the rich kid who lived off his parents' wealth, or Chanyeol - the one who earned a living by selling out his attractiveness.

But Lu Han, as jealous as he was, still stubbornly refused to be Chanyeol's colleague, even though the other man had mentioned several time that ABOKI was in desperate need for workers who are homosexual or bisexual. Most of their boyfriends for rent were straight and those alone could not fully satisfy the needs of the gay customers. ABOKI had been recruiting gay men or even gay women for a long while, and unfortunately the ones they have successfully hired were still not enough for the growing customer demand.

Lu Han was exceptionally good-looking, yes. He was also the gayest guy you could find, obviously yes. But sadly, his awkwardness and the fact that he hadn't dated anyone ever were the major drawbacks. He was not like Chanyeol - the outgoing, goofy man who could get along well with just anyone he just met. Had never been on a real date before, Lu Han knew that beside his good look, he was absolutely not the best candidate for a job where knowing how to flirt was one of the main requirement. And of course, no single man or lady would pay for an awkward, inexperienced boyfriend as their temporary date.

However, he could not tell Chanyeol the real reasons he had been neglecting the tall man's offer for working in ABOKI. That bastard would never leave him alone after finding out his record of zero-point-zero dating history for the past twenty years, and would "kindly" reminded him of that fact for the rest of his life. So as a result he just pretended like working as boyfriend for rent was the dumbest idea ever, and that the job was too weird to be considered a stable source of income.

Little did Chanyeol knew Lu Han would apply for a position at ABOKI a long time ago if not for his non-existent dating experience.

\---

However, as if god had listened to his constant complaints about being surrounded by roommates whose allowance for a day equaled what he earned in a week, one day Chanyeol suddenly approached him and said:

"Will you be free this Saturday?"

To which he replied with a nonchalant: "Yes I am, but why did you ask?"

And the answer that Chanyeol gave him just caught Lu Han off guard:

"Normally I always go on a date with this customer on every Saturday night but one of my aunts just passed away, and this Saturday my family and I had to travel to Busan for her funeral. If my date is just a normal customer, we can arrange that person another appointment instead, but like this one is a loyal customer of us and can only be free on Saturday night so... I just wonder if you can do me a favor and take that one on a date for me." - Chanyeol asked, voice more timid than usual, his free hand scratching his nape nervously.

"I know you don't like this weird job of mine but this customer is not like those needy single ladies who are touchy-feely or crave affection, but in fact a pleasant person to hang out with, just imagine the date as hanging out with a normal friend. I normally wouldn't ask you to do this for me but this person had been a frequent customer of us for like two years now, and you know, I just don't like to disappoint, especially when the person had been nothing but nice to me on our dates." - The tall, lanky man gave his friend a sheepish smile. He would never asked Lu Han to do this for him, if not for the customer whom he had considered a kind, sweet friend of him. Unlike any other clients who were either possessive over him or overly touchy whenever Chanyeol was nearby, this customer was quiet, guarded and soft-spoken at first glance, but could turn out to be the most lovable person you had ever met. That being said, Chanyeol was quite confident that Lu Han can enjoy the temporary date as some kind of friend's get-together. This one particular customer of him was pretty chill and just needed handsome, attractive dudes to hang out with.

So it did not matter anyway if it was Lu Han - a stranger - and not him who would go on a date this Saturday night. People who came to ABOKI for temporary dates have different purposes in mind and being a worker for almost three years now, Chanyeol had gotten used to it. Some wanted to experience the feeling of being loved, being taken care of, some wanted to take home a lover just so their friends or family wouldn't pressure them to get one, some just wanted to know how being on a date with a good-looking man would feel like.

And some just wanted a companion to stroll along the streets at night, talking about any topic that came in mind, like the customer Chanyeol had been taking on dates every Saturday night, for approximately two years now.

"I don't know Chanyeol. How long is the date exactly? And are you sure I don't have to be like.. flirtatious or something while being on that kind of date. I mean if that person just wants a friend to talk with, they wouldn't pay for a boyfriend renting service, would they?" - Lu Han skeptically asked.

"I know most people want more on a date like that but this person especially do not. And I don't know Lu Han, everyone comes to ABOKI with different intention and if that's just simply what this person wants, and I, out of respect, never questioned that on any of our dates. It's how we work in ABOKI, we don't asked our customers the reason why they chose us." - Chanyeol gave his friend a shrug, then he continued - "I know you're always against this type of profession so if you agree to do this for me, I can give you that Jordan Carmine sneakers I own, or any other Nike shoes I'm having right now. I know you're a big fan of Nike." - At this, Chanyeol flashed his signature all-tooth grin at the man in front of him, and it was a lie to say Lu Han wasn't slightly annoyed by how confident his friend was.

He knew once giving out that pair of Nike shoes as some kind of reward, there was no way Lu Han - a Nike addict - could say no.

That bastard knew him too well.

"So what does the date have to be like? And what exactly will I have to do for this customer of yours?" - Lu Han - even though slightly irritated by how easily he could agree to Chanyeol's request - eventually gave in.

"Don't worry. I will tell you all you need to know." Chanyeol immediately and excitedly replied, the grin on his face just grew wider.

\---

Lu Han had been waiting in front of Paris Baguette for approximately ten minutes, one hand occasionally withdrawn from his jacket to swipe over the phone for any notification from the ABOKI app. As Chanyeol had told him that customers and workers at ABOKI communicate through the company's phone application mostly, the man had given Lu Han his account to stay in touch with his date on Saturday.

"For workers like us, this app is for texting only. But for customers, they can use it to make payment and most importantly, to rate their dates and the boyfriends who accompanied them on the dates." - was what Chanyeol had told him when explaining the usage of ABOKI app, then the tall man added - "However, I was never rated lower than a 5-star in most of my dates with the ladies though, just so you know."

If that wasn't a warning, Lu Han didn't know what else could be. Sure he could easily screw up the entire date and disappoint the customer because at the end, it was only Chanyeol that was going to be rated on anyway. He was just a substitute, a person who was too kind to say no to his dear friend. However, no 5-star also meant no pair of Nike sneakers for him, and here standing Lu Han in the cold of mid December, arriving at the coffee shop ten minutes earlier out of nervousness. "No pressure my ass, if this date turns out to be bad he would never give me anything" - Lu Han bitterly thought, not so subtly cursing Chanyeol under his breath.

Ten minutes turned into fifteen, and fifteen minutes turned into a whole half an hour. Lu Han had been standing in front of the Paris Baguette for thirty minutes, yet there was still no sight of the person he would take on a date today. For a moment the man even thought about the possibility of being tricked by Chanyeol, just to brush that possibility off because no one would lie about death of a relative only for a prank. Half an hour slowly turned into forty-five minutes, and the person whom he would meet still hadn't showed up.

Lu Han's hands were freezing to the point they slowly lost their sensation, and right at the moment the man was ready to give up on waiting, a silhouette gradually appeared from afar and from the way it was moving, that person was running toward him.

"I... I'm sorry. The train I usually take just had a delay due to technical maintenance or whatever and I had to take a longer route. I'm extremely sorry" - A breathless voice broke Lu Han's train of thought. However, what really took him aback was not the words but the gender of voice itself.

His date was, in fact, a boy.

Lu Han knew ABOKI didn't only have female customers as their services targeted gay men and women as well. Nevertheless, he had always imagined Chanyeol's favorite customer as a middle-aged, lonely, single woman who had to pay for the companion of a man. Never did he know the person Chanyeol and he talked about all this time was, in reality, a boy whose appearance reminded him of those high-schoolers on their way home from cram school.

That was definitely not an exaggeration. The man standing in front of him, who was trying to catch his ragged breath, was clad in a oversized hoodie too big for his petite frame and gray cap worn backward. His little fingers peeped from the cuffs of the hoodie's long sleeves, which made him look no older than a 16-year-old boy. However, as far as Lu Han knew, one must be over 18 to be able to use ABOKI service or to rent a boyfriend.

Could this kid be 18? 19 maybe?

While Lu Han was still busy examining his date's face in an attempt to guess the boy's actual age, he didn't realize the other person was staring at him, not so subtly studying Lu Han with his eyebrows furrowed.

"You must be... the one who would take me on a date today in Chanyeol's stead?" - The boy finally voiced his question out loud. "Chanyeol sent me a photo of you though, that's why I recognized you." - He quickly added.

"Yeah. I... I'm that person. Nice to meet you." Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Lu Han quickly wiped his clammy hand on the back of his jeans before offering it to the boy for a handshake. Now that he got the chance to look at the person standing near him carefully, he could feel his nerves tingling like being tickled with a small feather. The boy was adorable, terribly so, with sharp feline eyes that made his heart flutter with rapid speed, and pouty, amble lips that just begged to kissed. He had glabrous, creamy pale skin that looked soft to the touch with round, chubby cheeks glistened bright red from the wind. However, his lips had gone a bit dry, maybe due to the cold weather, and as if the boy heard Lu Han's thought, his tongue made a lap around the lips in one sweet smooth motion. Sweet? Yes Lu Han was sure anything that was as red as those luscious lips had to be sweet. As if finally noticing Lu Han's obvious stare was boring right into him, the boy smiled and broke the silence:

"My name is Minseok, and you are...?"

"Even his name is cute" - the quick thought travelled through Lu Han's head and his face warmed up by the sudden realization that he, out of all time, was so enamored of the boy he couldn't help it. But who could blame Lu Han, the other person was exactly his type.

"Lu... Lu Han." - He didn't want to stutter, especially in front of such a cutie, but his body seemed to go against whatever command his mind instructed it to do today.

"I guess we're all cold so why don't we go inside and have something warm for a drink?" - Minseok flashed a gummy smile at Lu Han, and it was a lie to say the radiant smile didn't leave him breathless and his heart pounding.

If he was this lovestruck just merely by the presence of Minseok, who knew how head over heels he could be over the boy when this date was finally over.

But the thing was, Lu Han ain't even complaining.

\---

He was right, however. Interacting with Minseok just made him fall deeper for the boy.

They were sitting in a small corner of Paris Baguette, with Minseok occasionally sipping his hot Americano while excitingly telling Lu Han about a hilarious professor of his. Professor, you heard it right. It turned out that Minseok was not fresh outta high school like Lu Han had initially thought, but in fact was the same age at him and also a junior at college, currently majoring in Business. The man looked incredibly not his age with a youthful face and a somewhat childish, cute demeanor. However, it was not like Lu Han didn't like that fact about Minseok.

In fact, it was fair to say he was whipped, captivated, judging by how Lu Han didn't even know what Minseok was talking about anymore as his gaze was fixed on the pair of full, pillowy lips. He stared at them first thing, wanting to trace his fingers along the sweet outline where skin met the mouth, and then his mind wandered, wondering if those lips would be as velvety soft as they looked.

Feeling like staring at the lips were too obvious, he shifted his gaze once in awhile and started observing other special, charming features about Minseok. He discovered that the man had some kind of hand synchronization habit. When Minseok wrapped his finger around the coffee cup's handle to make a sip, fingers on his other hand also curled to imitate the action. This happened several time with both hands, and the moment Lu Han realized Minseok had such a cute habit, he wondered if this person was even real.

Because a man, in his 20s, cannot be this adorable.

There was other things that he noticed as well while secretly observing Minseok, such as the way one of his upper lip corners curved slightly whenever he smiled or laughed, or his lovely front teeth that were a little bit larger than the rest, which strangely reminded Lu Han of a rabbit's teeth. And his voice, the flowing and hauntingly pure voice that Lu Han would love to listen to everyday.

It had been almost an hour since they first sat here and yet all he had done was just watching Minseok, examining the way his facial feature changed and his eyes sparkled when he spoke. Lu Han didn't even know what topic they were on right now, probably about an interesting soccer match Minseok just watched.

Wait, did the other man just mention soccer?

"What's your favorite soccer team, Minseok?" - Lu Han quickly asked, and also enjoyed the way the man's name rolled off his tongue.

"Barcelona. How about you?"

"M.U! Too bad we love different teams" - Lu Han snorted. Actually he was glad that they have have one more common hobby, beside their love for Americano coffee, of course.

However, the topic about soccer team suddenly made Lu Han realize one thing, that he should pay more attention to what Minseok was talking about also. Sure it was hard to tear his eyes away from the attractive man, but there was more about Minseok than just his look.

So he listened, he asked about the man's hobbies, his favorite movie, music, book, anything about him. And that turned out to be next bad decision because now Lu Han was totally enthralled by the man sitting across from him, by his calm expression, his gummy smile, his beautiful cat-like eyes, and most importantly his personality.

Was there anything about Minseok that was not captivating, to be honest?

Another half an hour passed, and they both realized sitting in a coffee shop was quite boring for a date, that was when Minseok suggested visiting a shopping district in Myeongdong. Lu Han - the broke college student who lived off instant ramen most of the time - however, could not say no.

People said love was blind. For Lu Han this felt more like a momentary crush than love, but still, it would be a lie to say he wasn't blinded by his new, sudden affection toward Minseok.

\---

It turned out Minseok loved shoes just as much as he did, maybe a little more. Nonetheless, the two college students didn't dare to visit any famous branded shops, as they mostly strolled around Seoul streets or window shopped. Minseok purchased a few shirts and one pair of shoes while Lu Han bought nothing. But he didn't mind, he got Minseok walking beside him and laughing at his jokes and that was all that mattered.

They walked along the busy night district, talking about totally random thing and at one point Lu Han even showed Minseok his collection of kitty photos. They were mostly the cats he found cute on the internet and also the ones he owned, which got lots of compliments from Minseok.

"I love looking at cat photos but I'm actually afraid of them in real life. I was attacked by a cat when I was small" - Minseok smiled, revealing the reason why he could not raise a cat.

"Just to make you feel better. I can't even travel by plane. I have acrophobia and if I really need to travel, I have to find substitute like trains or ships. At least being afraid of cats cannot stop you from traveling the world." - Lu Han casually talked about his fear of heights. It made him happy though, because now Minseok was comfortable enough to share him personal secrets, like how he was actually scared of cats.

And the Chinese man felt like he needed to do the same. That was a success, however. His story about a 12-year-old boy who got terrified even being near the plane earned a small chuckle from Minseok, to which the cute man replied with:

"I'm honestly the same. I can't stay near any cat, even the small, harmless ones."

Chanyeol was right about how pleasant it would be to have small talk with Minseok. The tiny man had a special ability of putting the other person at ease while speaking with him. Lu Han felt relaxed just by walking beside Minseok, hearing the soft, alluring voice beside him and sometimes taking a glance at the owner of said voice.

It was already 10pm, and the sudden gust of cold winter wind sent shivers down their spines. Lu Han took a look at Minseok's outfit and wondered if he could offer the man his jacket instead. He knew it would be too romantic, but they were boyfriends now, even just temporary.

However, it was Minseok who took the initiative.

"Can you hold my left hand? I'm freezing right now."

To which Lu Han stared at Minseok dumbfoundedly as if the other man just grew two heads. Lu Han stood there like what he just heard was in alien language and the Chinese man needed time to process the information.

Nevertheless, once the message was clear that yes, Minseok, his most recent crush, the most gorgeous and attractive man on earth, wanted him to hold his hand, Lu Han could feel the uncontrollable heat that rushed to his face.

"We're boyfriends now, remember? And just in case you're wondering I do pay for extra service like hugging or holding hands." - Minseok snorted, probably amused at Lu Han's reaction.

"Sorry... I must be the most awkward boyfriend you've ever met. I... I'll do it now." - Nervously using a small tissue to wipe his clammy hand, Lu Han replied.

It took awhile for him to mentally prepare (he hasn't even hold hand with any of his crush before, mind you) before slowing grasping Minseok's small, tender hand. He squeezed the hand lightly, feeling Minseok's thumb and index finger slightly touching his palm. Sure Lu Han had hold hand with his friends before, but his male classmates' rough, big hands cannot be compared with Minseok's delicate soft fingers. He also loved how the man's tiny hand fit perfectly into his calloused, giant fingers, how his thumb could trace circular patterns on the small man's velvety smooth skin.

Minseok's fingers were icy cold, probably the result of him not wearing gloves. Lu Han scolded the other man under his breath, and in a swift motion tucked the freezing hand he was holding into the pocket of his cloak. Minseok seemed to be taken aback, judging from the way he just stared at Lu Han with big surprised eyes.

"Your hand is too cold. I just want to warm it up." - The Chinese man reasoned his sudden action. Red leaked into his cheeks as he nervously spoke and bit his lip.

There was a moment of embarrassment, as both of them didn't even dare to move, but quickly Minseok broke the awkward silence by suggesting having tteokbokki at a small kiosk nearby.

That tteokbokki Lu Han had that day, with one hand picking up the spicy fish cake and another hand busily holding Minseok's, was probably the best street food he had ever eaten.

\---

The hour hand on Lu Han's watch slowly approached 11:30pm, indicating it was time the date should end. Minseok seemed to notice this also, as he implied coming back to Paris Baguette to bid each other goodbye.

All good thing must come to an end. But Lu Han, even though already prepared for this departure, still felt his heart sank as the two of them eventually arrived at Paris Baguette. One strong gust of winter wind abruptly blew Minseok's face for he just constricted his lips into a beautiful surprised O. His alluring, teardrop lips kissed the chilly air and it obligated by pushing aside a few black strands from his forehead. The man standing beside him, his date for today, was too gorgeous and perfect and before he even acknowledged, Lu Han's fingers slowly caressed Minseok's reddened, freezing cheeks, in an attempt to warm them up.

"Remember to bring a scarf next time if you go outside this late. You're freezing" - He worriedly said.

"Said the man whose hands are as cold as ice." - Minseok let out a small chuckle, and Lu Han just loved how he could feel the laughter radiating through his hands.

He wished they could stay like this forever.

"Okay boyfriend, time to let me go, time's up" - Minseok calmly removed Lu Han's hand and it was a lie to say that action alone didn't break his heart into pieces.

"So... Thank you a lot for an awesome date, Lu Han. At first when Chanyeol told me about a friend of him that will replace him for today's date, I was actually quite worried because well, I spent quite a lot for each single date like this and it must be worth the amount I paid for." - Minseok continued, the gummy smile never left his lips - "But you are better than I thought, much better. I felt really happy while being with you and to be very honest, you're really good at holding hands." - At this, Minseok looked away embarrassedly, but still couldn't hide the red glow that came over his face.

The tiny man's sudden compliments brought a tint of roseate to Lu Han's cheeks, as butterflies in his stomach were flapping rapidly to compete with how fast his heart was pounding.

"Thank you very much. I know I'm not the best rental boyfriend you have but still that compliment means a lot to me. You're too kind" - Lu Han sheepishly said, head still hanging low to hide how red his face currently was. "So before each of us part our way, do I have to... uhm..." - He began stuttering. Lu Han just hated the fact that his brain always forgot to function properly at crucial time like this.

What Lu Han meant was whether he had to give Minseok a goodbye kiss, you know, like lovers always do before bidding each other goodbye.

"Have to what?" - Minseok cocked his head cutely in confusion.

"Like.... uhm... " - Lu Han tried to find the right word and most importantly, tried to properly speak without feeling like he should find a hole and go hide there - "Giveyouagoodbyekissorsomething"

"I’m sorry but what?" - Still confused by Lu Han's rapid sentence, Minseok asked again.

"Do I have to kiss you, you know, like what real lovers always do before leaving each other?" - Finally said what he wanted to say, Lu Han felt like a huge rock had just been lifted off his chest.

"Oh, you don't have to, don't worry. I mean the extra services I paid for also include kissing but I don't feel like doing that with stranger." Minseok laughed, and at the same time bid Lu Han goodbye before leaving to catch his late train.

Stranger. One word.

It was like Minseok just slapped the harsh truth in Lu Han's face and told him to stop daydreaming, because yes, even though he had just been on a date with the cute man, it was, after all, just a fake date.

And he was, in fact, just a stranger to the other guy.

Who said one single, harmless word can't hurt you beyond repair.

\---

It had been two weeks, two weeks since the day Lu Han agreed to be on a date with one of Chanyeol's customer, and happened to have a big fat crush on said person. Two weeks, and it seemed like memory of the date still hadn't faded one bit in Lu Han's mind, as the Chinese man recalled it everyday and night in a desperate attempt of seeing Minseok again, even just in thought.

"I can't give you his number, and to be honest, I don't even have one. We're not allowed to ask our customers their private information and we can only communicate through the ABOKI app." - was what Chanyeol told him when being asked about how to stay in touch with Minseok. It turned out that ABOKI disclosed their customers' personal info from all the workers, as a way to prevent the mere rental boyfriend-client relationship from spiraling out of their control. However, if the customer wanted to keep in touch with their fraudulent lovers after the temporary dates, they were totally free to do so.

However, the main problem here was how Lu Han's crush on the small man was clearly one-sided.

"Listen, I don't want to discourage you or anything but honestly speaking, even if I do have Minseok's number and give it to you. The chance of you successfully winning the man's heart is like... zero percent." - Chanyeol gave out a long sigh.

"I don't get it" - Lu Han looked at his friend in confusion.

"What I mean is he's the type of guy who's scared of being in a committed relationship. It's not like he told me this or anything, but come to think of it, have you ever wondered why such a cute, attractive young man like him is still single at this point and moreover, still pay a huge amount of money every month to rent fake boyfriend?" - Chanyeol then continued - "Because he's not interested in being in a real relationship. That's all I concluded after working in ABOKI for years because well, all my other customers are actually lonely and have trouble finding a lover, but Minseok, I guess he can win any man's heart easily."

Like how he successfully stole Lu Han's heart and never intended to give it back.

"I heard this rumor from other co-workers that before me Minseok had been on multiple dates with a guy named Jongdae, also from ABOKI. And that guy, like you, was obsessed with him to the point of following him around after work. Don't ask me how he could get Minseok's phone number. The point is that Jongdae guy wasn't a stalker or anything, he just tried to ask Minseok out and confessed to him and all that shit. And you know what happened to Jongdae?"

To which Lu Han shook his head.

"He was fired, not so long after. Minseok filed a complaint to our company that Jongdae made him uncomfortable and he wished to switch his date to another man, who turned out to be me. Our company then came to the conclusion that Jongdae is not qualified for the job and voila, he lost it." - Chanyeol then lightly pat his friend's back - "So yeah, my advice for you: snap out of it. That man has his own problem and probably prefer renting boyfriend to actually having one. I know he's charming and all and I have to admit, it's hard not to fall for the boy, but you gotta stay out of him for your own good."

"Easier said than done, Chanyeol" - Lu Han mumbled grumpily.

\---

Chanyeol or his company can try to stop Lu Han from having Minseok's number, but at least he could visit the man's favorite coffee shop, which also turned out to be their dating place - Paris Baguette. Minseok was a huge coffee addict, so he figured out it would be fair to sit at a small corner of the shop, waiting till the cute man showed up for his daily order of Americano.

However, the Chinese man had been visiting Paris Baguette for almost half a month now, and still no sight of Minseok had been seen. At one point he even asked one of the barista for "a frequent customer named Minseok who has huge almond eyes", and all he got was a head shake and the statement: "We remember all our loyal customers and none of them fit your description, sir".

Lu Han was devastated at first, until he remembered what Chanyeol told him about a dude named Jongdae who tried to hit on Minseok.

Was it possible that Minseok, based on his history of being flirted by men, probably discovered Lu Han's crush on him and attempted to lie about himself, so that he won't be followed around?

Come to think of it, Lu Han's expression had always shown his true emotions, and he was also really bad at hiding how he actually felt.

"Does Minseok really hate being hit on that much?" was what on Lu Han mind all his way home. He was sad, heartbroken and on top of it, feeling of hopelessness started creeping into his head.

"Snap out of it." Lu Han remembered what Chanyeol advised him to do, with the earnest look in the man's eyes. Clearly with a man who push you even further whenever you try to approach him, future of dating him was doomed from the start.

But he couldn't just snap out of it, couldn't erase the memory of his date with Minseok out of his damn mind. It had been months since his encounter with the man and yet, Lu Han felt like his feeling for the man was still as fresh as ever. He couldn't simply forget the man and find another crush.

How could he, when what he thought was just a simple, momentary crush turned out to what seemed like his very first love.

Unfortunately, the only time Lu Han felt in love at first sight, the man whom he fell for, however, could never return his feelings.

"But it doesn't hurt to at least give it a try anyway."

With that thought in mind, Lu Han quickly dialed Chanyeol's number and the moment the tall man picked up the phone, he immediately spoke:

"I have decided. I will apply as a worker in ABOKI"

"You what?" - It seemed like Chanyeol screamed at the phone because now Lu Han's ears were starting to hurt from the loud voice.

"I mean, I will apply at ABOKI. It's the only way for me right now to be able to meet Minseok again."

"You're crazy." - The other man said in disbelief.

"I know I am, but I cannot forget him Chanyeol. I... I think I'm already in love with him." - He bashfully admitted.

"I have no word to say right now. No word. Now after all I told you, you decided to just ignore all of my advices and go for that weird man who’s clearly not into dating."

Lu Han can easily imagine how frustrated and angry Chanyeol was right now, but he couldn't care less.

"I appreciate your advice and also your warning, but my heart just can't leave me alone if I don't at least try to chase after him." - Lu Han reasoned.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. But if you're heartbroken just don't come find me." - Chanyeol said in defeat. - "You know what? Time like this I actually regret asking you to take him on the date for me. I feel like I'm responsible for your future emotional breakdown."

"You may regret it, but I don't, Chanyeol" - And by saying this, he meant it.

He was forever grateful for what his friend did because without it, Lu Han may never meet the boy whom he would dare to do anything.

Just to earn a chance of seeing him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Next chapter will be about chansoo :DD


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